


Blood Money

by Transformersfan123



Category: Kung Fu Panda - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 03:39:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13332717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Transformersfan123/pseuds/Transformersfan123
Summary: Monkey had held off for as long as he could but one night it was irresistible. So for three nights, he gives in, but, to his dismay, one of his friends is affected by what he did. Shame follows, because Monkey truly can't control this urge. So he runs back to where he belongs, though he hates the death that's there. For his master will disown him and his friends will reject him.





	1. Why Does It Have To Be Yours, Po?

Monkey stared at the pendant dangling from his hand. The emerald jewel and the gold and silver pattern surrounding it sparkled in the sunlight. Set around the emerald was a curling, dragon-like figure surrounded by stars.

"Damn it, Po," he growled. "Why does it have to be yours? I never would have taken it!"

He swallowed nervously, acute fear wriggling through him. If Master Shifu found out that he was a thief...

"Ohhhh..." Monkey groaned softly, his insides quivering.

The very thought of what would happen to him made him want to start running as far away as he could.

"Are you all right, Master Monkey?"

Monkey spun around, hiding the pendant behind his back. He sighed when he saw it was only a servant goose.

"Yes. I'm fine. Just thinking about...things."

"Anything I could help you with?"

"No. Just go on with what you were doing before."

"All right. Call if you need anything."

Monkey watched as the goose scurried away then began to hurry to the bunkhouse, anxiety making him whimper. He wouldn't have stolen if he could help it...and therein lay the problem. He _couldn't_ help it. It was a deep-seated urge that refused to be ignored.

He had been raised in a street gang, and stealing was a part of life. He hadn't known life outside the gang. They had bought him from a woman who needed the money more than her only son. Even before he could walk, he was a thief. They were overjoyed at how good he was at it, and the games they taught him only made him craftier, more skilled. He had been the best in the gang, and was given honor and praise daily.

But…Monkey had grown tired of his life. He had grown tired of the blood, the gore, the _death_ that followed in each footstep. So he had run away. The gang was probably still hunting him down. They wanted what was theirs. Because they _owned_ him. The only way to not be theirs was for somebody to purchase him.

Though Monkey had plenty of money now, he couldn't purchase himself. It wasn't allowed in the code. And to reveal to his friends about just how shameful his past was? Reveal that he had lied to them about his past just to shut them up and shut them out? Reveal that he couldn't stop stealing? No. He couldn't. They would shun him, despise him, reject him! _And I couldn't bear that,_ he thought miserably as he closed the door to his room.

Which brought him back to Po's family heirloom. It was ancient, passed down from father to son for twenty generations. And he had stolen it the night before. He was so ashamed, so frightened. Oh, he had stolen several things from the villagers. But to steal a treasure of one of his best friends? He had been so excited about stealing for the first time in months that he hadn't registered where he was, so he had broken into Ping's and stolen it. Po came back up to the palace after a quick visit and told the tale of a mysterious theft, and Monkey knew if he was caught, Shifu would murder him. And he also knew that he deserved it.

Monkey began to cry as he stared at the jeweled pendant. He missed Oogway dearly. Oogway understood him. After saving his life and straightening him out, the turtle had kept in touch before recommending him to Shifu a year later. Shifu had eagerly trained him, seeing great potential in the young simian. But there was still the thieving problem.

He had never learned to control the urge. He hadn't ever felt the need to. Even once Oogway had turned him good, he still stole regularly. But when Oogway had caught him, looking shocked and a little hurt, Monkey finally felt shame at what he was trained to do. He had burst into tears, sobbing hard. Oogway had comforted him until he was shaking and whimpering.

"Why do you do this?" he had asked him

"Because," Monkey replied, "I have to."

They had discussed it in depth, and Oogway had determined that Monkey felt like he had to because of his conditioning. He had stated that it was unacceptable for Monkey to steal from most everybody, but that it was okay to steal from him. He marked several items that Monkey could steal, promising to make it difficult for him. And he delivered. But Monkey was _never_ caught while he was doing it, which greatly impressed the turtle.

But…now he was gone. The items had all been stolen, and there was nothing left to do, nobody to put them back into place and set more traps. Monkey had staved off the urge for five months before it became unbearable. Then he had to go and steal the wrong thing. What was he to do?

Monkey swallowed, hiding the pendant under the floorboards that held his other thefts. He would have to wait it out. Maybe after an attack he could claim he got it from one of them? Maybe. He would just have to wait.


	2. The Serpent Gang

"Cong, nice to see you," Fu said happily, though his eyes were cold and mean.

"Yeah, we knew you'd come back," Xiu purred, patting his head.

"I have returned to where I belong," Monkey said, though he had dropped that title hundreds of miles behind him. He was now Cong, the clever head of thieves for the Serpent Gang.

"Do you have anything for us?"

Cong opened his satchel and dumped out as much gold as it could carry, plus three small jade statues. Fu was pleased.

"Good boy. If you had come back empty handed…" The threat was real.

"I would never do that, sir," Cong said. "My wild days are now behind me, and I have come home to stay. Forgive me for my stupidity."

"You have asked, so it is granted. Now, we've been planning a heist. I will brief you, then you will bring us the ruby. And _you_ will not be caught!"

And so his life in the gang resumed without a hitch. His gifts had brought him back into Fu's favor, and the wolf was pleased by his increased skill. The misery, however, returned as well. The first death occurred the first night. Fu slit the poor rabbit's throat. Monkey watched him bleed out then closed his eyes. placing a silver coin on each of them before following the plan. He succeeded.

Cong's guilt had eaten away at him for three weeks before he had written a note apologizing and explaining that he had to leave then ran away. He was so far away that the Five…the Four would never find him. But his guilt had disappeared as he stole. It was so _freeing_ to be able to steal again! The days turned to weeks and the weeks to months. Three months in, they began to travel. Fu wouldn't tell the rest of the gang where they were going, but Cong was getting a sinking feeling that he knew where they were going. The landscape looked awfully familiar.

They entered the Valley of Peace at night and snuck into the Jade Palace. Out of all the things inside of his home…ex-home, that they could steal, he knew what Fu was after. And he knew there were traps around it. He knew where the traps were, what they did, and how to avoid them. So stealing it would be easy. But he didn't _want_ to steal it. It belonged to his master's master, and now to Cong's master. Or…his ex-master. Shifu would never want him now.

"Go get it," Fu purred after telling him what it was.

Cong blinked then looked down. "No."

The room was suddenly ice cold, and the wolves and oxen and crocodiles all backed up as Fu stiffened.

"I do believe I heard you wrong, Cong. Go and steal it. _Now_. I will not ask again."

"I refuse. We should not have come here."

A knife was pulled and pushed against the underside of his chin. "Do it."

"No."

The knife plunged into his stomach, and Monkey shrieked as loud as he could, not from pain—he could tolerate a helluva lot of pain, and this was no exception—but for warning for his friends…ex-friends. He still loved them, though they wouldn't love him after they found out.

"Traitor!" Fu bellowed, and they began to beat him viciously.

Tigress' roar sounded out, and the gang jumped violently, turning to see Shifu, Po, and the rest of the Five. They didn't look happy. Before the gang could move, the kung fu masters attacked. Monkey watched in a haze. The beating had increased his heartrate, which made his blood pump faster, which made the bleeding worse. Shifu came up to him after the others had led them to the holding cell. He spoke, but his voice was far away. Cong shivered, closing his eyes. He was finally getting what he deserved. He was going to die. The last thing he felt was strong arms lifting him up, then blissful darkness engulfed him.


	3. Jade Turtle

Cong shifted, grimacing as his body protested loudly. He groaned, and a paw was placed on his head.

"Easy, Monkey. Easy," Tigress said soothingly.

"W-what?" Cong asked, opening his eyes and cringing away from the lantern light.

"He's awake. Somebody go get Shifu," Tigress said.

"I'll get him," Mantis said, and Cong heard his customary chirping noise as he raced of.

"Po, go prepare supper. Noodle soup should do. Hurry."

"Got it." There were heavy footsteps then silence for a few seconds.

"Can you sit up, brother?" Viper asked as Tigress moved a chest behind him then placed a pillow against it.

"I…What's going on? Why aren't I dead?" Cong asked. Tigress and Viper helped him to a sitting position, and it _hurt_ unless he leaned at an angle.

"Master Shifu managed to stop the bleeding," Crane said, settling down beside him.

"Yes, barely," Tigress muttered.

"You almost didn't make it, Monkey," Viper said sadly.

"I shouldn't have made it," Cong muttered angrily, glaring at the ground.

His response made them pause.

"Monkey? Are you okay?" the snake asked tenderly.

"Leave me here to die."

"Monkey!" Crane gasped.

"Monkey! You are awake! That is good!" Shifu said as he hurried inside.

Tigress shook her head emphatically as Shifu started to say something else. He paused then changed tactics.

"Are you well, Monkey?"

Cong didn't answer, his face a stony mask. "Where are Fu and the others?"

"Fu is held separately from the others. He is their leader, correct?" Shifu asked.

"Yes. He is the leader."

Cong's tone held such hatred that it surprised them. Their sweet Monkey, hating somebody? He didn't even hate Tai Lung or Shen. He just felt sorry for them. What did this Fu have that made their dear friend _hate_ him?

"Monkey? You never answered me," Shifu said.

"Go away."

"I do believe that answers my question," the red panda muttered. "What is the matter, my student?"

"Go away."

"Monkey, please answer me."

"Go away."

They got nothing else out of Cong, but he did eat two bowlfuls of the noodle soup before gingerly laying back down on his mat. Cong cried silently when they were gone, but he wanted to scream. Death would have solved everything. They would have found out his terrible past, his shameful secrets, his awful problem, but he wouldn't have to face them. If Shifu talked with Fu, Fu would put two and two together and would make him suffer for his refusal.

Cong stood and painfully slipped out of the window then hurried to Oogway's rooms. They were modest, as befitted the turtle, and Monkey slipped over to the thing they wanted him to steal. It was a jade turtle, as beautiful as it was expensive. The eyes were perfect rubies, and flawless emeralds, diamonds, sapphires, and every other gem were encrusted the shell. It was worth millions upon millions of yuan. It was the one item that the monkey had ever forbidden himself from stealing. Oogway had never said it was off limits, but the implication was there. Cong knew that Fu would break out. He knew that Fu would be after it. He would abandon the entire gang for it. So he knew that, for the first time ever, he would have to steal it.

He couldn't hide it in his room. No, that was too easy of a guess. The simian would have to run away with it, hide it someplace that Fu would never guess…The perfect spot came to mind, and Cong laughed to himself, thinking of his trickery. Oh! This would be _fun!_ Stealing for the right reason! How wonderful!

Cong laughed again as he packed some canteens for the journey. Then he carefully packed up the jade turtle and hurried down to the village, stopping by Mr. Ping's briefly. After getting the goose up, he ate a hearty meal while conversing with him, grabbed some dumplings and buns, paid, then left.

He was in quite a bit of pain, but knew he had to get as far as possible before Fu caught him. Because his gang studied those they were going up against. Those they were _likely_ to go up against. And they knew his friends'…ex-friends' weaknesses. They knew how to stop them. And Cong knew that, though they wouldn't be able to kill them, they could stop them from following. And there was one more thing that Cong knew for certain.

When he was caught, he was going to die.


	4. Mine!

The pain had grown greater each day, but he struggled on and on until he was struck down by a fist. He was stripped of his clothes and his pack, and was held by two crocodiles. His pack was emptied of the blanket, the final bits of food, and the empty canteens, but, to his captor's great surprise…

"It's not here! Where is it?" Fu screamed.

"I already hid it. You will never be able to guess where it is," Cong said tiredly.

He was backhanded, and when he hit the ground, the monkey didn't move. _Soon,_ he thought, _soon I can rest. Just a little more pain, then rest._

"I am going to kill you for your insolence," Fu snarled. "But first…Did you really think I couldn't tell the great Master Monkey was you? Quite the noble calling, to be a master of kung fu. So brave. But if they knew the _real_ you…"

"I know. They would never want me," Cong pushed himself to sit up. "Everything you are going to say, I have thought of already. My master would disown me. My friends would leave me. The people I protect wouldn't want me to be one of their protectors. I would be a disgraced outcast. And that is what you expected me to return as. That is why you thought I would steal the jade turtle for you. Because of hatred toward the people who shunned me. You didn't expect them to still want me."

"Why did you run away then?"

Cong stared at him silently, hunching down and wringing his hands together.

"Oh," Fu said softly in a triumphant tone. "You still can't control it, can you? That little…urge of yours? You still _need_ it. You need the thrill of breaking the law that comes with it. You do, don't you?"

Cong broke eye contact as tears filled his eyes. The entire gang laughed at him, jeering loudly.

"Oh, you actually don't like it anymore! I remember when you were a child! You couldn't _not_ do it! And you didn't _want_ to not do it! And now it is so ingrained into you that _you can't stop!_ And it was something of theirs this time, wasn't it?"

They laughed again, not waiting for an answer. Cong was miserable, but he held the tears back, blinking them away. _Soon_.

Fu snorted when he was done laughing. "Now, stand him up. Let me have a little more fun before we kill him."

They proceeded to play with the wound on Cong's stomach, slipping a blade in it again, among other things. The word was a mantra in Cong's head. _Soon. Soon. Soon._ When Cong was nearing deliria, there was a sound. Screams sounded out, and Fu shouted.

"He is _mine_ by blood money! I _own_ him! I can do as I wish!"

There was an enormous pain in Cong's stomach, and he shrieked in pain, then remembered no more.


	5. What You're Worth

Cong felt movement whenever he became conscious for brief moments. The pain was so great that he began to cry each time, and each time he was shushed back into darkness. He came to once, surrounded by warmth and a terrible stinging sensation at his stomach before slipping back down. Moments of pain was all he was aware of until one day when he became aware of himself…and he didn't fall back into unconsciousness. He took in breath after breath, noticing that each time his stomach expanded with air, it hurt. But it was bearable.

The monkey shifted experimentally. Again, it hurt, but it was bearable, so he opened his eyes and slowly sat up. That hurt worse, but it was still bearable. He was caught as he swayed and something was put behind him to lean on.

"Easy, Monkey. Easy," Po said softly. "Just breathe. Tigress, go get Shifu and the others, and tell Dad to bring up some noodle soup and dumplings."

"On it."

"Tell Mr. Ping to bring that special package, too," Cong muttered then coughed. Which hurt, of course.

Cong was so weak that he didn't register the passage of time. His only thought was the next inhale, which hurt, then exhale, which brought relief. He didn't realize he'd closed his eyes until Shifu lightly touched his face.

"Are you still awake, Monkey?"

Cong nodded, opening his blue eyes to see his master, or was it ex now? He frowned, noticing that they were in the bunkhouse. Which meant they were back in the Jade Palace. What?

"Why am I here? I thought for sure I was going to…"

Cong trailed off, still blankly staring at Shifu.

"I don't understand," he finally said as Mr. Ping entered with a bowl of steaming noodle soup. Tigress set the package down beside Cong, who pulled it close. He hoped the goose had been gentle with it.

"The doctor wants you to eat. You haven't had very much in a week," Shifu said firmly. "Finish the bowl if you can."

Cong ate slowly, and by the time he was finished, Viper, Mantis, and Crane had come in to settle around him.

"Thank you, Mr. Ping," Cong said, sliding the bowl over to him then leaning back and shivering. "You took care of it?"

"Just as you instructed," Mr. Ping said with a nod. "Now, I will let you talk. Everybody seems confused, and I am no longer needed for the moment."

The goose left, and Cong closed his eyes, trying to remember the last bit of memory he had. He traced the memory to where they were 'playing' with his stomach…there were screams…Fu had claimed him…a lot of pain…and that was it.

"I still don't understand. Fu killed me," Cong finally said, opening his eyes.

"No. He almost killed you. Twice," Shifu said.

"Yeah, and if you think the first time was close, the second one had to be within an inch of your life," Po said grimly.

"No joke for that?" Cong chuckled.

"You didn't see yourself or you would know the answer's 'no'," Po replied, a serious look on his face that was extremely out of place on the panda.

"It couldn't have been that bad. Fu's made me hurt worse than this before. A lot worse."

Silence. Viper slid around his waist then rose up to meet his eyes.

"So you _do_ know him?"

Cong swallowed and looked down, tears in his eyes. But he didn't let them fall. He never let his tears fall. Because that meant something was wrong, and Cong was always happy. _Monkey_ was always happy.

"Yes. I know him."

"How?" Crane asked, and Cong was about to answer, but he noticed the tone. It was an 'I know already, but I want to see if you'll be honest with me' tone.

"How much do you know?" Cong asked bitterly.

"You will tell us your story, then we will tell you what we know," Shifu responded, and there was no room for argument.

The tears wouldn't be held back anymore and he sobbed. "Why, so you can disown me?"

"It can't be that bad," Po said dismissively.

Cong glared through his tears then reached over and pulled up the floorboards. Po's jaw dropped first, the others' following as they registered the gold, silver, gems, and jade that filled the three spaces. And on top of the middle one was Po's family heirloom.

"You don't know the truth, or you would know that the answer is 'yes, it is that bad'," Cong muttered, tears falling faster as he curled up, burying his face in his hands.

"Monkey…" Shifu said, placing a soft paw on the simian's arm. "Talk to us."

"I do not deserve that title. Call me by what that foul wolf named me. Call me Cong."

"That is your name?" Viper asked.

"Yes. The only name they ever told me. If my mother gave me one beforehand, I don't know it."

"Before what?" Mantis asked.

Cong swallowed. Okay, this was really happening. He was really about to tell them about what a wretched monster he was. He took a deep breath, and braced himself for rejection.

"Do you know what blood money is to a gang?"

"Actually, that's something _I_ don't know," Po said as the others nodded.

"That's good. Usually those that ask about it want to participate in it."

"What is it?" the panda asked.

"Blood money is received when a parent or guardian of a child sells said child into a street gang. Depending on how promising the child is, the blood money goes up on some and down on others. I know my price. They said they watched me before they bought me. Even before I could walk, I was a thief. They told me I stole all of the other children's toys before they knew it. I was smart, clever, which is why they named me Cong."

"How much did they pay for you?" Tigress asked.

Cong snorted. "If they knew that you asked that, they would kill you. Or try to, at least."

"Why?" Viper asked.

"Because the blood money a gang pays is between only the gang, and usually not the whole gang, and the recipient. The recipient has to move immediately after the money is received, and they are never allowed to go searching for their child again. The child has to be young enough that they won't remember much, if anything, about their family and neighborhood, so that they don't know what to look for. The gang moves the child to a different part of town and raises them there."

"Why is it so bad to know though?" Crane queried.

"With blood children, you don't want others to know what you paid for them for two reasons. One, they might buy them from the leader. And two, that shows how much they thought you were worth, and it you were worth less than that, it brings shame to the gang. That is also why you never tell the child what the assumed worth was."

"Then why do you know?" Mantis asked.

"Because I am worth _far_ more than what they paid for me. Fu just had to brag to me about what a good choice he made."

"How much did they pay for you?" Tigress repeated.

"They paid over seven thousand yuan for me."

"And you're worth _more_ than that?!" they all gasped, even Shifu.

"Much more."

"Is there a number for how much you're worth?" Viper asked.

"Before we came up here, I checked my records." Cong took a deep breath. "I have stolen over five hundred thousand yuan. Or the worth of it. I don't tend to go for coins. I go for jade and gems and bigger items."

"Why not steal coins?"

Cong didn't speak for a minute. His next words were sorrowful and ashamed. "Because coins are too easy. It is much easier to swipe a purse than you think. A little bump, a slice with a knife, a quick grab, a nice 'excuse me', and you've got yourself a day's pay. And in a crowded city street, which bump was it that took your money? If I had done that, my worth would have been triple that. Or quadruple. But I was 'too good' for the little purses. Fu refused to waste me on that, and I refused to do it once I got good enough. There is no thrill, no rush when you've done it for the millionth time in a row."

There was silence again as they took that in. "You know, we only bought you for two thousand yuan each," Crane said thoughtfully. "That's less than what you're supposedly worth."

Cong blinked and looked up. "Wait, what?"

"We bought you," Viper said with a smile. "For two thousand yuan apiece. He's coming to collect in a week."

"Y-you…bought me?" Cong felt numb. "I…I don't have to go back there anymore? I…I'm _free_?"

"Yes, my student. You are free," Shifu said with a kind smile.

"How much did you know?"

"We knew of the blood money, and we knew you were a thief. Nothing else."

The monkey blinked. "So am I disowned?"

"When did you steal this stuff?" Po asked, grabbing his family heirloom.

"Oh, that was three weeks before I left. I couldn't stand it, and I knew that our master would find out eventually, so I ran."

"Why did you steal it, though?" Shifu asked. "We have plenty of money."

This was the part he was most afraid of, and his hand rustled the packaging of the wrapped item beside him. Every eye turned downward.

"What's in that and why did my dad have it?" Po asked.

Cong took it gently into his lap and unwrapped it to reveal the jade turtle. Silence again.

" _That_ is what they were after!" Shifu exclaimed, looking horrified. "It was gone, and I thought to never see it again!"

Cong flinched. "I'm sorry, master. I had to steal it to keep it from them. And nobody was going to look inside a plain old noodle shop, even when he was the father of the Dragon Warrior. I will pack up by morning."

"You will pack up…Why?"

"Because…you don't want to be my master anymore…"

"That does not change anything. You are my student. You clearly want to leave that life behind you, and I am pleased by that. I didn't have the greatest of beginnings either, Monkey."

"You didn't? Was it as bad as mine?"

"Well…I had a gambling problem. A big one. Oogway bet that I couldn't beat him, and he was right. I was to study under him for four years. He got rid of the gambling problem and set me on the course I still travel today. Before I knew it, my time was up, and I was free to go. But I didn't want to. So I stayed."

"Oh. In a way, my beginning was a gamble. And it is one I have always won. Always. But there just needs to be one loss for me, and I will never see daylight again."

"I will put this where it belongs," Shifu said, taking the turtle from Cong. "And I will send the doctor in. The rest of you, get to sleep. I will see you in the morning."

They bowed, and the lanterns in their rooms were blown out. Monkey settled down, getting as comfortable as he could. They didn't care. He was still welcome. This was still his home, and they were still his friends. But what about the urge? Oh well, he would get to that in the morning.


	6. Blessed

But he didn't. The days melted into a week, and no words were spoken on the subject. Then Fu showed up with his highest ranked gang members. Monkey stayed back behind his friends, watching silently, as he was supposed to. The money exchanged hands, it was counted, which took a while, even with five people doing so, then they bowed to each other.

"Taken care of that little problem yet, Cong?" Fu asked as they prepared to leave.

Monkey looked away, causing them to laugh. When they were out of sight, Monkey turned and hurried away to the training room to do some stretches. He wanted to be left alone. But he wasn't so lucky.

"What was he talking about, Monkey?" Shifu asked.

"It is nothing you need to worry about, Master."

"Tell me what it is, and I will determine if it is cause for worry."

Monkey straightened and turned away, hanging his head.

"Does it have to do with why you stole that stuff?" Po asked. "Because you haven't really given an answer yet."

The monkey wordlessly nodded, tears again bubbling at the corners of his eyes.

"We will not be angry, just explain," Shifu said patiently, encouragingly.

"Well…I have this issue…"

"Yes?"

There was silence so Tigress pet his head gently. "Come on, Monkey."

"I'm a thief."

"You were a thief," Crane corrected.

"No. I _am_ a thief. I steal because I must. Or it feels as if I must. It is not that I need them, or even want them. It's the thrill of stealing something, anything, that is valuable, and knowing that I could get caught. I need to steal. I need it badly. Oogway…"

There was a long pause then Shifu touched him gently. "Oogway helped me, my student. He helped to rid me of my gambling problem, and in a way that will probably be similar to what he did for you. He would gamble with me on silly things such as chores so that I could get what I needed, the rush of the unknown. He helped wean me from the rush until it was no longer a rush, then I quit. What did he do for you?"

Monkey slowly turned around, but kept his eyes on the floor. "He would set traps to try to catch me, or put the valuables right near his bed. Once I had stolen it, I got to keep it for a week or so, then I would return it, and we would start all over. It helped me greatly. I didn't steal from any of you or the villagers. I didn't really notice at first that I was stopping, but after he died…I stole all of them and got no relief after that. I stopped it for months, but it demanded to loudly one night. I was weak and went down to the village three nights in a row to steal. I am sorry to disappoint you. All of you."

Shifu nodded. "If it is anything like my problem, I understand. I have been considering your stolen items, and I have come to a conclusion. You will go back to the village at night and return all of it. Once you have done that, we will continue to do what Oogway did for you. I am sure the rest of the Five and Po will be more than willing to help. Does this sound reasonable to you, Monkey?"

"Yes, Master," Monkey looked up to show that he had been crying.

Po walked over and pulled him into a big hug, making the simian sob in relief, burying his face in the black fur on the panda's shoulder. He cried until he felt better then pulled away.

"Thank you. All of you. I appreciate it. I truly do. I was so afraid that you would reject me, but you didn't. You have done more for me than I would ever have hoped. You are still my friends, my family, and you actually bought me from those…gang members. Thank you. I have to go catalogue the items. But I would like to sit and speak of my past some more. Tonight?"

"Tonight sounds perfect," Mantis sad with a nod.

Monkey walked slowly to his room then began pulling the items out, recalling perfectly what he had stolen and where. He couldn't keep the smile off of his face. He grabbed Po's pendant and set it carefully down. That one would be returned tonight. It would actually take at least three nights to return all of this, but he didn't mind. The villagers would be happy, and so would Shifu. That thought alone made him laugh softly. He was truly blessed to have such a good family.


End file.
